"Brains" of the I-Lofar telescope project arrives at Birr Castle site

Trinity College's I-Lofar project at Birr Castle is gaining momentum with the arrival of telescope equipment on site.

Costing close to €2m, 'the brains' of the telescope arrived on site last week, while 12 more 40ft truck loads will be arriving from Holland throughout the summer.

That's according to Prof Peter Gallagher, a senior lecturer at Trinity College’s School of Physics, who says teams of students from Cork, Galway, Dublin and Belfast will descend on Birr throughout the summer moths to help build the telescope.

'The brains of it arrived last week, along with some parts, but there are 12 more containers to come,' Prof Gallagher told the Offaly Independent this week.

'It has been a logistical challenge to say the least but it will be worth it once it's fully operational,' he continued. 'Essentially it's a radio telescope and we'll be carrying out scientific research with it. I'll be studying solar flares, which are explosions on the surface of the sun, studying when and where they happen.

Solar flares are capable of knocking out GPS and communication systems.
'Students will also be studying Pulsar, which are rapidly rotating stars about the size of Dublin, like rapidly flashing lights. We'll be testing Einstein's theories with those,' he explained.

And the search for even more planets will continue.

'When I was young there were only nine planets, now we know of the existance of around 3,000, so we'll be searching for more.'

I-Lofar is due to be operationaly by mid-July, and will be streaming data back to a super computer located in Holland, which collates data from all around Europe.

Prof Gallagher praised the locals who helped fund the €2m project.

'We received around €1.4m in Government funding, and also some donations from Offaly County Council, Birr Lyons Club and the kids at Birr Space Camp. It was so important for the Science Foundation Ireland to see that the children in the locality have such an interest because we want to connect with children with science and engineering.'

Welcoming the progress was Marcella Corcoran Kennedy TD.

'The facility which is currently under construction in Birr will be one of the most advanced and sophisticated systems in the world and will be a part of a network of radio telescopes across Europe. The I-Lofar project is a very appropriate successor to the Leviathan telescope which was developed by the 3rd Earl of Rosse in 1845.

'The I-Lofar facility will provide access to Irish students to ground-breaking research and will continue the tradition of innovation and cutting edge science in Birr.

“I along with many parties invested a huge amount of work in this project and I am delighted to see such progress on site. I was determined to ensure that the necessary political support for this project was secured from the beginning. This project is significant for regional enterprise development and will place Birr on the map as a destination for science and astrology enthusiasts which I have no doubt will bring economic benefits to Birr and the region.”